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COVID-19 News & Resources
Free N95 Masks
The Biden Administration has begun distributing 400 million N95 masks, which offer the greatest protection against COVID-19. Masks are free to the public and are available at many local health centers and pharmacies, such as CVS, Walgreens, Walmart. You can find a list of participating pharmacies by state here. The program is expected to be fully up and running by early February.
Testing for Child Care Providers to Keep Children in Care
Beginning January 31st, Testing for Child Care is a first-in-the-nation testing program that will provide rapid antigen tests to child care programs to help keep children in child care and early education programs open.
Get Tested
Along with getting vaccinated, getting boosted, and wearing high filtration masks, testing continues to be one of the best tools to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Learn more about the different types of COVID-19 tests available and where to get them.
Get vaccinated & boosted
Vaccines are still the best protection against getting severely ill with COVID-19, including the highly contagious Omicron variant.
Vacunarse y reforzar
Las vacunas siguen siendo la mejor protección contra una enfermedad grave con COVID-19, incluyendo la variante omicron altamente contagiosa.
Now those who got Pfizer OR Moderna as their 1st and 2nd dose have to wait only 5 months until they are eligible for a booster.
Youth Feedback Needed!
The Youth Mental Health Coalition will be launching a communications campaign that will normalize conversations around mental health. They want to ensure their messaging speaks to our youth!

If you are between grades 6 and 12 and live in the greater Springfield area, please complete this very short survey (less than 5 minutes!). The survey will be open until Friday February 11, 2022.

Help us spread the word! We are asking everyone to please share this link with youth who live in the Greater Springfield area.
COVID In Western MA
Visit the Western MA COVID-19 Data Dashboard for the latest COVID-19 data for the region. We are back to our regular schedule of updating the dashboard every Friday afternoon!
Research & Evaluation
What Data Could Inform and Benefit Your Work?
The Public Health Institute of Western MA is the technical assistance provider for the COVID Community Impact Survey (CCIS) for Western MA. The CCIS has a wealth of data related to housing, employment. healthcare, intimate partner violence, substance use, youth, mental health, and more.

Learn more here and send us a data request.
News & Events
  • Empower the Dementia Caregiver, February 16 at 6:00pm, February 18th at 12:00pm: Caregiver Homes is hosting a 1-hour CE webinar where participants will learn about early onset warnings, signs of progression, and the many available community supports. To register, e-mail QBrewington@CaregiverHomes.com.
  • Housing Navigator Tool Demos, February 9th at 11:00am, February 22 at 10:00am: Housing Navigator Massachusetts is hosting a demonstration of its affordable housing search tool for service providers throughout January and February. This hour-long info session with Q&A targets professionals working with people who are searching for housing in MA. Register now.
  • Girls Inc of the Valley is looking for a Licensed Mental Health Consultant: Working closely with the Girls Inc. Program Directors, the mental health consultant would play a leading role in bringing innovative, culturally-responsive mental health supports to the Girls Inc. community. Learn more.
Do you have news and events that you would like us to share in our e-newsletters? Email us.